Few bands can boast of sharing the stage with world-renowned acts which cross over an expanse of genres, but MorissonPoe sure can. They’ve shared the stage with the Sneaker Pimps, Afrika Bambatta, Royston Langdon, The Offspring, and Outkast – just to name a few. In fact, this self-made band has affected other musicians so significantly that Royston Langdon even stopped once in the middle of his set to say, simply, that MorissonPoe rocked.

With singer Jean Morisson, bassist and keyboardist DSPoe, guitarist Mike, and drummer Nyk, MorissonPoe originated in south Florida. Rock and electronica music were interests of all four members, but even so, their unique brand of music came as a pleasant surprise. “It was just coincidental through our creative channels that [our style was] what came out when we all collaborated in making the music. It was not necessarily the intention,” says Mike.

MorissonPoe is experimental, electronic, hard rock, trip-hop… you name it. Their brand of music is one you won’t find anywhere else, and because of this, the band has struggled with making their mark in south Florida. Mike comments, “South Florida had a lot of hardcore, emo bands, or you had your makeup, industrial bands. And that was pretty much the gist of it. You met one of those two people, joined one of those two bands, and you had a following.”

Another thing that set MorissonPoe apart was the fact that they are a female-fronted band. In the years since the band’s inception, female-fronted bands have gained steam significantly, but there is still much lacking. Many have the voice but lack the fire, the inspiration, or the passion to be successful. Others have the fire and passion, but lack the vocal ability. Luckily for MorissonPoe, Jean Morisson has these things. She credits her attitude and creativity to her past and the great men and women who have affected her life. “My inspirations [are people like] Tina Turner, Prince, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Nicks, to name a few. The elements that these musicians held is what's lacking in today’s music. I, in all that I do, keep a piece of them with me in my mind, to always strive to be better than I am."

Just a year ago, MorissonPoe moved to New York in hopes of finding more opportunities for a band of their nature. D says, “In south Florida, there are so few bands that are truly serious about their music, about being good musicians, and about putting together everything they need to do to become successful in music itself. New York has like 10,000 plus bands and boasts about it, [while] there are probably 200 bands in South Florida area, with about a handful being worth going out there, mass-marketed, and released to the world.”

The band has accomplished many of their goals since arriving to New York, from working with their current manager to playing at CBGB. They’ve also learned a great deal about who real fans are. “People will come see your show, not because one of your friends is going, but because they like your music. You put on a good show, and you did something. You made an impression and they’ll come back,” says Nyk. Despite the band’s deep-rooted appreciation for their faithful south Florida fans, all the members agree that in Florida, it’s often more about how you look rather than how well you can play.

MorissonPoe’s record label, Ethology Records, is completely self-established by the band and the band’s manager. In the day and age where DIY individuals are a fad, MorissonPoe is a DIY band by every means of the acronym - not because it is a popular approach, but because of their passion and dedication for their work. From street teams to press releases, the band directs their own promotion, distribution, and publicity. They work around-the-clock to build up their success. “I don’t think anyone else can really sell this product better than we could because we love it, live it, breathe it, and everyday, no matter what happens, this is what we do,” says D.

The band’s release of Glitter Girl: of the Tale, the Passion, and the Rapture (kindly abbreviated to GGOTT) was originally scheduled for September 23rd, but was pushed back to October 26th due to an influx in orders from stores across the United States. GGOTT does a great job of showing off the band’s diversity and ability to push the limitations of your everyday rock n’ roll to turn it into something inventive, new, and refreshing. The album is the band’s child, and it is a production which they have put all of their blood, sweat, and tears into. “We’ve struggled, we’ve starved, we’ve fought with a lot of people, and we’ve triumphed over a lot of things. And for us to know that this CD will be put out means a lot for us, because it’s our trophy for all the crap we had to go through to do it,” Jean beams proudly.

The band has huge expectations for the album, as they should. Thanks to the Internet, extensive touring, and word–of-mouth, MorissonPoe has established a growing fan base around the world. The majority of their album’s presales – as much as 80% - were located in California, despite the band’s roots in New York and south Florida. “[The album is] the first impression of our band for a lot of people. If I had to put a collection of our songs together during a performance, this would be it. It shows what makes the sound, the funk, the fire, and the diversity of the band. From one song to the next, [it's] completely different,” says Nyk.

One notable feature of the album is that there are only six tracks. MorissonPoe believes in quality, not quantity. Their live sets are equally short in duration, and the band is innovative in the sense that they don’t need a two-hour set to attract hundreds of people; they just need to showcase the sheer power of their music.

Another weapon on their side is the power of sex. As any advertiser with half a mind will tell you, sex is one of the most effective means of promoting an ad campaign, and MorissonPoe has had numerous creative ideas for promotion, from kissing booths at shows to giving out free CD’s to the fans who could submit the best photos – nude or clothed – with signs saying, “I Love MorissonPoe,” or even, “I would do [insert imagination here] for MorissonPoe.”

Sure, these things probably aren’t appropriate for your generic MTV bands, but MorissonPoe is fierce and fiery, and so are their fans. They have had more than enough wild tour experiences in their career. “The last show we did in Florida, we saw more boobs than probably anyone has seen. Except for KISS KISS is probably the only band other than us who has seen that many breasts,” D recalls.

“It was like Breastapalooza,” Jean adds.

Despite the fun, games, and sex, MorissonPoe considers themselves to be politically-charged revolutionaries. This year, the band has partnered up with Rock The Vote to include voting registration on their website and at their shows prior to elections this coming November. As an anti-Bush band, MorissonPoe even sells anti-Bush merchandise alongside their usual band merchandise. In January of 2003, around the time the United States was preparing to enter into war against Iraq, the band also put together a last-minute event centered around an anti-war petition and rally. They were originally scheduled to play at a festival with fifteen of the top bands in the south Florida area, but their event brought in more people than the original festival, sparking much news coverage within the area.

Stories such like this show the dedication and hard work of MorissonPoe, and what’s more is that the band has many of these stories. What the band describes as the “epitome story of MorissonPoe” was the first time they played a show in Tampa, Florida. They had been booked at a tiny bar in the middle of nowhere. “When we got there, there were maybe 30 people at the bar. Half were slumped over beyond recognition,” D recalls. After playing three or four songs with no one really caring, Jean told the band, "If we’re worth anything, we’ll turn this whole show around and make it into something.”

By the end of the show, MorissonPoe’s energy had spread throughout the room, turning the dead crowd into a larger group of cheering and clapping individuals who were very much into the show, considering, as Jean describes, “[B]efore there were cricket sounds.”

In the upcoming months, the band will be going on a wave of tours to promote their new album, starting off in the east coast and then slowly heading west to California. They will eventually move their way up and hit sites such as Seattle and Vancouver, Canada.

“We’re very psyched to see what the world has for us out there,” says Jean.

And the world is ready for them too.

Because MorissonPoe has a female vocalist, we decided to get their opinions of other famous females. And despite D’s saying, “We’re going to get in so much trouble,” they were all good sports - candid and straight-forward with their answers. Agree with their opinions or not, one thing that we can agree with is that MorissonPoe definitely thinks popstars should say they’re popstars.

GWEN STEFANI
NYK – I’ve been a fan of No Doubt for quite a while, and I’ve seen them a few times. I have to give her credit for everything she does. She puts on a fantastic show. It’s not just studio nonsense; she can perform live and I can appreciate that band because… she’s her own element. She’s nothing fake, and everything that she sings about is totally real. And I think she’s kick ass, for sure.

BRODY ARMSTRONG
D – I never was a big Distillers fan, unfortunately. I do understand what they have done for the music scene, but the music never really did much for me.

AVRIL LAVIGNE
JEAN – Her music is great. She has a lot of great songs. But I’m not the biggest fan of her, because I feel as though she does not own up to the fact that she’s a pop star. And I think that if you do that type of music – and it’s great music, you should be proud of what you do – you shouldn’t bash others that are doing the same thing you are just because yours seems to have a bit more of an edge. That’s why I’m not particularly hot on her. But I think she has great songs and she can fare very well; I guess I just more do not like what she stands for as a singer.
MIKE – And she’s Canadian.
JEAN – We love Canadians! That’s a lie!
MIKE – That was a joke, by the way. What are you talking aboot.
D – I think if you’re going to insult Britney Spears, you should be more like the Distillers if anything.

BRITNEY SPEARS
NYK – I think she’s hot.
MIKE – I’m a person that listened to hip-hop when I was very young, then death metal in high school, and just jumped around to all different types of music. When she first came out, it was a little teeny pop song thing, and I didn’t care for it. But her most recent album – and I’m not like a huge fan who’s thinking about her 24/7 – but I really enjoyed the music not because it was Britney Spears or the way that she sang, but just because it had a nice European and electronic influence to a lot of the songs. She may not have been the greatest singer in the world, but music isn’t always about the best performer, or the best range, or who can do the most complicated musical things.
JEAN – And she’s a popstar, and she says she’s a popstar. She doesn’t pretend to be a rockstar, and that’s what I think I like about her. And she’s hot.
MIKE – She’s so gorgeous, we’ll gang-bang her! But you know, she does her thing, and the music’s good. I’m with that. That works for me.
NYK – I actually watched a special on Miami that they had that aired everyday, all day, for like a week. She puts on such a fantastic show. The one thing that kind of takes away from it for me is that lipsyncs – even though she is doing ridiculous dance moves at the same time. However, there are people who have done both and have done it very well. I appreciate the fact that she may not be able to sing as well when she does, and it’s a little bit creaky and a little bit shady, but I mean, I just think that for what she does, it’s an excellent show, but to say that she’s the best there ever was – not that you said that, so I don’t know where I pulled that from, but… yeah.
MIKE – Well said, Nyk, very well said.

JESSICA SIMPSON
NYK – Jean got excited; let her answer it.
JEAN – Jessica Simpson is BRILLIANT. She pretends to be dumb and she is not. She is so smart. She is in all of these shows, has done all of these things, pulls the dumb blonde routine, and is richer than Jesus Christ. I have to give it up for Jessica Simpson; I think that she’s brilliant and that she has a great voice, and I like her. And she’s a pop star and she says she’s a pop star. As a person, she’s brilliant, cause she’s fooling a lot of people. I believe she’s not as dumb as she makes people think. And if she is, I feel sorry for her.
NYK – I have to say, that when I saw her on the VMA’s the other day, she does this thing with her head, and it’s really pissing me off. That’s all I have to say about that.
RM – I’m with you man, it pissed me off too.
NYK – And she did this thing with her hand over the microphone… what the fuck is that?
JEAN – But the fact that you’re even talking about her makes her brilliant. You can’t get her out of your head.
NYK – She likes her.
JEAN – I didn’t say that I liked her. I just said she was brilliant.
MIKE – Regardless of whether she is truly smart or if she’s brilliant, or she’s extremely dumb and she just has a great agent, she’s working with what she’s got, and she’s way more successful than a lot of people. You can’t just trip and land into a situation like that unless you’re one of the Hilton daughters.